Japan PM names five women to new cabinet

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe named five women to his new cabinet on Wednesday, matching the highest ever number of female members of the executive.

"A society in which women shine is one of the big pillars of this government," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference ahead of the announcement.

The five make up more than a quarter of the 18 members of the cabinet.

The move comes after Abe has repeatedly declared his aim of having 30 percent of senior business and political positions occupied by women by 2020, as part of an effort to plug a gap in the labour market.